


Someone Like You

by hubbywriter12



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/M, Komamiki Week, classmate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-28 11:30:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7638373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hubbywriter12/pseuds/hubbywriter12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short Special: Buttons for Eyes<br/>As a token of gratitude, Mikan gives Nagito something that came from within her heart and soul... and it made him flustered for a moment.</p><p>(07-25-17)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just started writing this an hour and a half ago when I saw EvilMuffins post a new work. Apparently, it's Komamiki Week 2016. I hope this catches up for Day 01. If it's too late, no worries. It's kinda sad that I'm writing more works now, because sometimes I need time to do work. I have to update three more stories. Enjoy~:)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Classmate
> 
> Two months have passed since the entrance ceremony, and yet, the students of the 77th class still do not know much of each other. Sure, there's the photographer and the traditional dancer, who are both best friends. And then there's the yakuza and the swordswoman, who are hiding a secret together. There's the mechanic who practically stalks the princess. And then there's the Ultimate Nurse and the Ultimate Lucky Student. They sit beside each other... but they don't know much about each other. Chisa decides to do what she thinks will benefit the whole class.

**_"You all have these disappointing relationships, don't you?"_ **

From Chisa's position, she could hear Sonia and Gundam talking about an occult. And off Sonia's side was Souda, who was gawking at the blushing expression of the Ultimate Animal Breeder. Chisa could hear Hiyoko spouting nasty insulting things to Souda, and as soon as she finishes with a satisfied laugh from seeing Souda dramatically cry, Mahiru gave her a slight scolding. The new homeroom teacher didn't miss the small look Mahiru shot Souda, but she let her eyes wander off to see what the others are doing. Some students formed a small circle that surrounded the Ultimate Team Manager and the Ultimate Gymnast, who are both arm wrestling. Ibuki was whooping loudly together with Teruteru. Nagito, Peko and Fuyuhiko only watched from the sidelines. Nagito was smiling like usual. Peko watched the game intently. And Fuyuhiko silently thought Nekomaru would probably win. Mikan was clutching her first aid kit, making sure she's prepared. She still had a frown on her face when she heard Akane let out a long growl. Both Ryota and Chiaki are just keeping to themselves... like usual.

**_"This is a crisis that needs solving."_ **

Chisa sucked in a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs, feet apart and both hands balled into fists by her side.

"GET BACK TO YOUR SEATS, **PLEASE**!!!"

Her yell was so loud, it caught Nekomaru and Akane off guard. All of them looked at the young woman, who had stood up straighter than before. She clasped both hands together in front of her, making a clapping sound, and put her feet together.

She smiles.

"Now, now, students. Once you get back to your seats and sit properly, our activity for homeroom will start!"

The students went back to their seats and sat properly, after a whole minute though. Chisa had even stated that she will give them a reward when their activity is a success. Of course, some of them took the bait. Akane hoped it was food, and Ibuki followed that she hasn't eaten breakfast yet even though she's fully energized.

"So what is the activity, Miss Yukizome?" Sonia asked with a polite smile.

"It's a partner project," Chisa started. Simultaneously, Teruteru, Ibuki, Souda and Sonia gasped at this- out of excitement. Hiyoko immediately looked at Mahiru with a bright expression. Peko's eyes flicked towards Fuyuhiko's head before back to the young teacher. Akane looked over her shoulder to see Nekomaru giving her a thumbs up.

"BUT!"

Like a magnet attracting metal coins, all eyes were glued on her. Chisa continued. "Your partners will be your seatmates."

Simultaneously, Fuyuhiko, Akane, Souda, Mahiru and Hiyoko let out groans- out of disappointment.

"I don't want this lame crybaby loser to be my partner!"

"Eh, baby gangsta's kinda good but ol' man Nidai's better."

"What the  _f***_ did you just call me!?"

"Miss Yukizome," Mahiru attempted to make a suggestion. "Why don't you let us pick a partner for ourselves? I think it would be-"

"Nope!" Chisa cuts the photographer's attempt, a palm set in front of her that indicated she refuses to agree. "Columns one and two will be partners for each other. While Columns three and four goes together."

"I hate this guy!" Hiyoko yelled again as she pointed a finger at Souda, who merely glared at her.

"What're we gonna do anyways?" Ryota asked while still animating.

"You will ask each other questions about yourself! Simple as that."

"But can't we just write it on some paper and then give it to them?" Akane asked, scratching her nose.

"Where's the fun in that?" Chisa asked. "And, the reason I want this to happen is because you're a class. Students should know everything about each other when you're going to spend the rest of the school year together."

"But... it's not fair!" Souda protested.

"Hm?"

"Miss Sonia gets to be paired with that _freak_! They spend so many times together- they shouldn't be paired with each other!"

Both Mahiru and Sonia gave Souda disapproving expressions.

"Oh! That can be fixed easily!" Chisa looks over to the team manager at the back. "Oy Nekomaru. Do you mind if you switch positions with Gundam?"

"It's the _Forbidden Tanaka_ ," Gundam corrected.

Chisa throws him a peace sign. "Sorry."

"Oh, I won't!" Nekomaru answered before going towards Gundam's position.

In the middle of this, Mikan was silently thinking to herself. And as a habit, she had started to brush her knuckles together, thinking about the partner activity. Before she knew that Chisa will be the one assigning the partners together, she was worried that nobody will pick her. And she's afraid to choose by herself. The number of students inside the class is an odd number, so if there was anyone who would get left behind, it would be her. Tears started pricking the corner of her eyes. She's used to this. It's not like someone would be delighted to be partnered with-

"Mikan?" She heard her seatmate- her partner for the activity- call her name.

She looked to her left to see Nagito looking at her with his head tilted, the same grayish-green eyes looking at her with an amount of curiosity.

"Is something bothering you?"

Mikan simply blinked, unable to form words with her mouth. That question was always being thrown at her, matched with a concerned tone. Was he pretending to care? Does he even care at all? He barely knew her. But she barely knew him.

"Mikan."

"Ah!" Mikan whimpers loudly. She turned her body to face the lucky student and put her hands together like she was going to say her prayer. "I-I'm sorry! Forgive me for not talking b...back immediately!"

She leans forward with glassy eyes. "I will let you do a-anything to me to make it up for you."

At this statement, she failed to see Akane and Fuyuhiko's stare at her. But she did notice the surprise in Nagito's face.

"Oh, no Mikan. I'm not mad for that." Nagito creates a sheepish smile. "I was just wondering what you were thinking about, since you seemed to be lost in thought."

"Mm... I... don't... I'm your partner." She looks down at her shoes, noticing Gundam stand up from her seat and go to the back.

"Is... Is something wrong with that?" Nagito asked. He was about to tell her that he has no problem with her being his partner for the activity, but Mikan spoke up again.

"Y-you probably don't l...like to be beside a d-dirty person... like me. I-I'm too f...filthy and unde...deserving to be your p-partner." A tear rolled down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it with her hand.

"Oh, no, I'm not bothered with it," Nagito follows. He slightly leans forward on his desk but had his face turned to her. "In fact, I'm the one who don't deserve to be your partner. You have a talent that could make a  _great_ impact in the world and spread hope by curing your patients. I only have a talent that could  _kill_ people near me thanks to my luck."

Mikan's eyes widened at this. "B-but you're the lucky student! Y-you're blessed with many g...good things. I-If there's something you should know, it's that y-you're better in s...spreading hope be-because of your speech. I'm just a c-clumsy girl, so if I... if I messed up, I could f-fail my patients."

"But who's trashier between us?" He creates a wide smile, which slightly terrified the girl. "Of course, the answer is me. I'm a scum that deserves to be stepped on because I have a low-life talent such as luck. This proves that I'm not worthy to be your partner. Just think of what people would say! A lucky student, paired with a nurse- it's undesirable. Do you think my luck will help you in your job?" He shakes his head. "I don't think so. I'd probably break medicine bottles before you could even reach out to them."

"But...  _I_ don't deserve to be your partner. D-don't you get it? I'm lower than you think you a-are! You're nice and you help so willingly. I-I on the other hand mess things up when I try to help."

"Don't think like that Mikan. With your talent, I'm sure you won't mess things up. Your talent is natural for you. You know, when I got accepted to this school, I couldn't believe I'd get to be grouped with you all. And to think that I have talented classmates, I had the strong feeling of hope surge in my-"

"Oh my God!" Both of them jumped at Fuyuhiko's voice. "If you don't shut the f*** up, I swear to God I will beat you to death until you can't say 'trash' and 'hope' anymore!!!"

"Gee, is that how you flirt with each other?" Ibuki pipes up from behind. "Because Ibuki thinks that is seriously one messed up convo."

"Hm, I don't think it's bad at all," Teruteru follows. "Just think how vocal they can be when they're in bed! They're both masochists!!! I can imagine what they can-"

"EWW! Shut the hell up you perv!" Hiyoko smacked Teruteru's head with a scowl.

Mikan's eyes widened, realizing that everyone was listening to them. She blushed madly and let out a cry of embarrassment. She stood up immediately and bowed in front of the lucky student, whose face is flushing pink but maintained a calm expression.

"I'm sorry Nagito!!!"

"Uh- it's okay, Mikan. I'm-"

"Forgive me! Forgive ME!"

"I do- I do forgive you-!"

Chisa sweatdropped at the scene before her. Just as Nekomaru had sat on Gundam's seat, she became silent when both Nagito and Mikan began to launch off into a conversation that was loud enough to be heard by all of them.

_Is that the way they talk to each other?_

Mikan bowed again, but this time, her forehead bumped with Nagito's. Nagito immediately held his forehead with a small wince, and Mikan let out another cry. Hiyoko and Ibuki began to laugh at how stupid (Hiyoko's perspective) and adorable (Ibuki's perspective) the scene was.

Mikan began crying, and Nagito attempted to reassure her she did nothing wrong by standing up and putting a hand on her shoulder. Nagito looked nervous when Mikan tried to hold in her breath for more than five seconds.

Chisa slightly smiled. "Well I guess they're off to a good start!"

"SERIOUSLY!?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Band-Aid
> 
> Komaeda wakes up in a small clinic, wondering how he got in there first. The nurse decides to fill him in while she puts a band-aid over his forehead, where a small cut lays. Komaeda was thankful to have a crazy luck cycle for once.

When he started to regain consciousness, he felt a headache slowly coming in. He sucked in a breath through his parted lips, starting to feel his surroundings. He could still feel the warmth his pants gave him. But he couldn't feel the familiar fabric that covered his arms and feet. He didn't remember taking his jacket off nor his shoes and socks. He felt numb and cold for a moment, then realized that the air-conditioning unit was on. He knows he has no air-con in his room. He knows he was lying on something, and he is certain it's a bed thanks to the pillow underneath his head. He could smell a strong scent of alcohol- not the liquor though. He had smelled this scent before. He attempted to open his eyes, but not before feeling a sizzling pain on the right corner of his lips. Once he opened his eyes, he realized that he was inside an unfamiliar room. The room he was in is dim, which didn't help him figure out his location. But a sound reminded him that someone was nearby. Faint footsteps sounded on his left before seeing a person appear at his peripheral vision.

The person must have noticed his open eyes, for they asked, "Are you feeling okay, sir?"

Komaeda blinked twice before turning his head. The person happened to be a woman who was wearing a pink blouse and white pants. But over her clothes was an apron. As his vision adjusts, he noticed her long neat hair that was tied in a low ponytail. She had straight bangs that didn't cover her view, and she had a beauty mark. One statement lingered in his mind.

 _She looks familiar_ , Komaeda lazily thought before clearing his throat. "Not really." He closes his eyes once again and let out a quick exhale. "I feel like I got hit by a car."

At this statement, the woman let out this sort of slow chuckle that reminded Komaeda of children who are trying to cover up their mistake. "R-right. About that... You  _did_ get hit by a car."

Komaeda's eyes opened. "Eh?"

"Aaand... it was my car," she hastily added, as if what she just said is not a big deal. "Sorry."

 _Just my luck_.

Komaeda didn't know how to react- for a moment. But when he gathered his thoughts, he was going to say something when the girl opened a lamp by the side of his bed. He noticed her hair color. It was quite hard to determine if it was a brown color, or a purple one.

"Your car?"

"Yeah," she nods and handed him a bottle of water. "It's a good thing that I'm a nurse."

He slowly sat up, feeling weaker than usual, and began to grasp the bottle in her hand. "You're injuries aren't severe. You've got some bruises on your chest and your arm; your bottom lip is split but it's not too bad. But," she pauses as she pulls out a couple of things from the pocket of her apron. It was a cotton ball, a disinfectant, and a band-aid. While she was doing this, Komaeda had taken a gulp from the bottle of water.

"When the impact was made, you must have bumped your forehead on the stirring wheel." The woman opens the small bottle of disinfectant and pours a small amount on to the cotton ball. "You have a cut on your forehead, but it's nothing major."

She sets the disinfectant and the band-aid on the table beside the lamp and started to grasp the back of Komaeda's head. Komaeda set the bottle down by his lap, and waited for her to apply the disinfectant on his wound.

As she dabs the cotton on his cut, he felt the cold substance touch his skin. He assumes his cut is near his hairline. There was a faint pinching pain as she continues to dab the cotton on his cut, but he didn't make a hissing sound nor an expression of pain.

"I made sure to get help from people. I got you here in the clinic I work at. I made sure to clean any wounds before doing this." She sets the cotton ball on the table and grabbed the band-aid. Peeling off the backings of the adhesive straps, she starts to stick it to his cut gently.

Komaeda watched her work, eyes watching her expression. This woman is very nice and polite. She sounds too casual after a car crash, but she did have this gentle aura that made Komaeda relax under her touch. He noticed the small smile on her face as he felt the pad of her thumb brushed over the band-aid carefully. With that expression, it told him that she was used to this and probably enjoyed doing it as well.

"Both of the fronts of our cars are... bad, _but_ I have a... a friend who can fix that." She lightly steps back and looked at her work. Komaeda absent-mindedly brushed a finger on his bandage before tilting his head slightly at the woman. He creates a carefree smile.

"May I know your name, miss?"

The young woman's eyes widened. Komaeda didn't know if he asked a question that probably made the nurse react like this. But then, she returned his smile.

"My name is Mikan Tsumiki. I work here in the Yukizome Clinic Care."

 _Mikan Tsumiki?_ Komaeda perked up at the mention of her full name. "M-Mikan? Tsumiki?" It sounded foreign but at the same time, familiar.

She nods happily before grinning. "You probably noticed me for being Dr. Chisa Yukizome's assistant."

Komaeda didn't even know who that woman was. She's either that fellow neurologist Yasuke Matsuda (his own neurologist) talks to, or the pediatrician Monaca Towa (a kid he used to talk to when he goes to Yasuke's lab) used to visit. But he knows this woman. In fact, he couldn't believe this was Mikan Tsumiki. She used to be so... meek, timid, self-deprecating, tearful-

"Uhm, sir?" Mikan's voice entered his ears like flowing honey.

 _She matured over the past years,_ Komaeda thought. Her hair used to be so ugly and unevenly cut, but now, it fell straightly that ended by her elbows. The pale skin she had when he used to talk to her back in his younger years, was now glowing admirably. And those same grayish-purple eyes- it never failed to captivate him. She bloomed into a beautiful swan from an ugly duckling. Well, it's not that Komaeda considered her as an ugly person. In fact, he used to admire (another word for like) her face when she smiles- which was rarely back then. And not only her appearance matured, but her voice changed as well. She used to have this whiny tone where he always thought she could break down in any second now. But today...

Komaeda sheepishly chuckles. "I'm not surprised you forgot someone like me. It's fine. But no, I didn't know you as Dr. Yukizome's assistant."

Mikan's head slightly tilted at this, eyebrows furrowing. "Hm?"

"We used to be classmates back in high school." Komaeda knew Mikan was still trying to remember him. But an expression flashed on Mikan's face. She probably remembered every high school memory that was stored in her mind.

"I used to be your lab partner, if I remember correctly." Komaeda starts with a smile and looked ahead of him, avoiding Mikan's eyes. "I always caused trouble unintentionally, and you would help me cure my wounds." He chuckles. "SIlly me. I always needed your medical skills just so I can go through high school. You even told me I should continue checking up on Dr. Matsuda so I could keep myself alive and healthy."

He looks back up at Mikan, but then noticed that her head was bowed. And after squinting his eyes, he noticed that her eyes were getting glassier. But her lips formed a thin line, which made her unpredictable.

"Mikan?" Komaeda called, suddenly getting concerned.

Mikan looked down at him and formed a genuine smile. Komaeda froze for a moment, mesmerized by the expression she was showing. He was busy staring at her expression that he failed to react quickly when Mikan released a satisfied laugh. She looked even more glorious than before.

"Nagito Komaeda, is it?"

He swore he just felt a mini heart attack when she worded out his name.  _What is wrong with me?_

"Do you have anything to do tomorrow? Or today?" she asked unexpectedly, showing a hopeful gleam in her eye.

Another freaking heart attack.

He searched his surroundings for any clocks and found one. It was a digital clock. Glowing in neon green, the clock said: 11:09pm.

And it was Friday.

He shakes his head. "No."

"Then you wouldn't mind if we hang out together tonight?"

He swallowed.  _Is she thinking what I'm thinking?_

"Well," he shoots her a cute smile. "I wouldn't. That is, if you don't mind hanging out with-"

He felt a finger stop his line. He blinked rapidly and looked up at the nurse.

Mikan only giggled. "You're so predictable, Nagito."

It was the third heart attack of the day.

"You haven't changed since high school. Don't tell me you're as low as hell."

Something about her tone made him feel like he was floating on Cloud 9. And honestly, he was turned on, that he could feel the heat rushing up to his jaw and cheeks. He struggled to get his mouth working, as well as his vocal cords.

"So, do you wanna go now?" Mikan asked.

It took five seconds before Nagito beamed like a cheerful child who just got a present on his birthday.

"Sure!"

Komaeda was thankful to have a crazy luck cycle for once.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Pain
> 
> To be able to get information out of Mikan, Junko decides to torture her. And she loves to see the despair in Mikan's scream as she stabs Nagito repeatedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An alternate universe where Mikan, Nagito and Ryota are a part of the Future Foundation. The Neo World Program is something important that needs to be destroyed by the Ultimate Despair.

“Tell me.”

That voice belonged to the one and only Junko Enoshima, the most dangerous and manipulative woman Mikan has ever met. Here she was, strapped down on a chair, both arms and legs bounded for her to be unable to move. She expected that if she ever escapes from the hands of this vile human being, she’d get rope burns. But that was the least of her concerns. What she’s mainly worried about is her own life. She can’t move, and even if she can, she has no protection.

She is vulnerable.

“Please tell me, _dearest_.”

Her voice travelled into the meek girl’s ears, overflowing with fake politeness. Mikan trembled in fear under her intense blue eyes.

Junko wanted information from the best medic of the Future Foundation, the organization she hated to the very core. Out of all members of the Future Foundation, Mikan was the one captured.

She thought, if Junko was looking for a member of the Future Foundation so she can get the location of the most important program in the world right now, then she should’ve just got a security guard. It’s not that Mikan wanted that to happen. It’s just that, the guards are the easiest people to capture since they’re outside the tower. If the twins were to capture someone important with a lot of knowledge about the program, they would have to infiltrate the tower and choose between Yasuke Matsuda, Chihiro Fujisaki, Miaya Gekkogahara, Kyosuke Munakata and/or the Chairman.

Mikan didn’t have enough time to think about this, but these are the facts: The Chairman and Kyosuke are both skilled enough to be even with the former Ultimate Soldier, Mukuro Ikusaba. As for Miaya, Junko originally wanted her because Miaya talks through Usami, one of the artificial intelligences that is included in the program. But for some reason, nobody could detect that girl’s location in the tower. Chihiro was already dead because of the mutual killing game where the 78th class was involved. As for Yasuke, he’s long dead since Junko killed him herself.

The reason why Mukuro captured Mikan was because the twins know Mikan knows enough about the program. Working alongside the therapist and the neurologist that was from another section of the 77th batch, Mikan had little contribution in the creation of the Neo World Program, learning how to activate it, and was even trusted enough to know the secret location of the program.

And besides, Mikan was no match for Mukuro. Out of the twins, she’s the physically strongest one. Mukuro was even scarier than Junko if she wasn’t holding a dangerous weapon that could easily end anybody’s life. But here is Junko, right in front of the nurse, clutching the hunter's knife her twin sister favored.

“I…” Mikan couldn’t continue, because she knew that she shouldn’t betray the Future Foundation; the organization that saved her from the Ultimate Despair’s madness.

“I what?” Junko asked, making the nurse feel like she was getting backed up to an edge of a cliff.

“I…” Mikan began to tear up again, a sob almost escaping her voice if she didn’t swallow. “I can’t. I-I can’t, M…Miss Enoshima. I-I-I’m s…sorry.”

“Gee,” Junko looks away from the girl with a calm disappointed expression. “That just makes me sad. I mean, if I were you, I obviously shouldn’t be a backstabber to the ‘higher ups’.”

_BANG!_

It wasn’t a gunshot. It was the sound of Junko’s boot stomping in front of her, making Mikan jolt up from the sound. Nearer than before, Junko was leaning down on her with pure rage evident on her face.

“You think I f**k**g care if you do what those sh*****ds want you to f**k**g do!? I don’t, goddammit! Tell me where that f**k**g program is or I swear I’ll chop your body into different parts and throw them to those sh*****ds’ faces!!! Sounds f**k**g great!?”

Mikan sobbed, the fright taking over her heart. Pouring tears out of fear, she could barely speak out words to form an apology to the true Ultimate Despair. She stuttered, sobbing violently and looking down with her eyes closed, even though the tears weren’t stopping. Her shoulders shook nonstop, and everything in her chest ached. She had never cried so _hard_ like this before.

The strawberry-blonde girl grabbed the medic’s chin and roughly forced her to look up at her.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

“I-I-I-I-I’mmm- I’m s-s-s-s-s…sorry-!”

“You think a pathetic apology will make me spare your sh*tty life!?” Junko shoved her head backwards, causing Mikan to choke in the middle of her sob. “I f**k**g don’t!”

Mikan coughed and puffed, eyes opening wide at the sudden pain on her nape.

Junko sighed, the rage fading away immediately out of her face. Instead, it was replaced with a soft expression, as if nothing aggressive happened.

“Damn,” she glances at her wristwatch. “It’s only been twenty minutes and I still can’t get crap out of you. Tsk. I’m getting impatient.”

The poor bounded girl didn’t speak, afraid that Junko would get more physical towards her.

Suddenly, Junko beamed brightly, which was out of place for the dark room they were in. Junko grins toothily, making Mikan suspect that something bad will happen next. Anything Junko does is bad anyhow.

“Maybe I should use force against you.”

Mikan’s eyes widened, horrified. And then first word that came out of her mouth was, “t-torture?”

Junko nods her head, her blonde pigtails bouncing up and down. “Yes, dearest Tsumiki," she answers in a happy tone and turned around, walking towards the exit of the room as she ignores Mikan’s splutters and incomplete sentences of desperation. She opens the door in an excited matter and even hopped slightly on her feet.

“Big Sis Muku! It’s time to bring him in.”

Mikan’s insides froze. She couldn’t hear her heartbeat that had been beating loud in her ears ever since Junko came inside the room. Her sob had stopped, eyes focused on Junko and the doorway. She could hear something rolling on the floor, but she didn’t know what to expect. But Junko gave a hint indirectly: him. What did she mean by that?

Entering, a metal board with wheels on the bottom rolled in. And right on it was…

“Oh no,” Mikan breathed out.

Setting in front of her, was Nagito Komaeda, a fellow member of the Future Foundation who worked in the 11th Branch; a former classmate during their school days; her special friend. His body formed an X, his arms and legs strapped on to the metal board. Concern immediately took over Mikan after seeing how the straps look tight on him. Dressed in casual clothes which included his lucky jacket, she suspected he was captured in the middle of his day off. He should’ve been enjoying his day off. But his face said otherwise. He was glaring at the twins with clear anger. But once he noticed Mikan’s presence, his face turned in surprise.

“I know, I know,” Junko starts and leaned on the metal board. “Torturing you to get details out would be easier. But I thought, maybe you’re so devoted to those foundation guys that you would rather _die_ than give such significant info. But fortunately, it turns out, Komaeda here had been looking for you. And I figured, why not torture _him_ instead of _you_? Surely, you don’t want him hurt, right?”

“Tsumiki?”

“K-Komaeda,” Mikan’s chest tightened. She looks at Junko with bloodshot eyes. “W-w-what’re you… g-going to…”

“What am I going to do?” Junko completed for the medic. She giggles loudly. Mukuro on the other hand, remained emotionless. “I’ll just ask you one more time.”

Junko’s soft and happy expression turned deadly serious. _“Where is the program located?”_

“Don’t tell her Tsumiki!” Nagito yelled. “After everything the Future Foundation did for us, we should pay them back. A-and that is by _not_ betraying them!”

Mikan couldn’t breathe easily. She is indecisive, stupid and irresponsible. And with those traits, she clearly has no chance of surviving. But her life isn’t the only one in the death list. Her fellow friend is in it. If she doesn’t tell Junko what she wants to know, then Nagito would get hurt. All because of her!

“Komaeda, I-I-I-“ she stammered out of anxiety.

Nagito shot her a determined and insisting look. Despite that, his tone became slow, calm and reassuring. “Whatever she will do to me, it doesn’t matter. As long as you don’t speak about the program, the chance of hope winning will still remain. All thanks to you.” He even shot her a smile that gave her the smallest bit of hope.

Junko rolled her eyes and turned to look at the former Ultimate Lucky Student. “Is that all you have to say?”

Nagito ignored her. He didn’t break his eye contact Mikan and made an actual order. Nagito knew how she would react, all because of his statements. “Tsumiki, if you _don’t_ tell them the answers, I will _forgive_ you until the very end. Don’t be the traitor here. If I die, at least, you left me satisfied, because, I know you didn’t tell them. Promise me, _never_ to tell them the truth.”

“Sis,” Junko looks over to her older twin. Identical blue eyes clashed with each other. “Tape his mouth shut.”

The black-haired girl does what she was told. Mikan frantically glanced at each person in the room, unable to speak. Junko held up her sister’s hunter knife, the blade glinting under the only light source. “Hold this for me,” Junko orders.

Mikan didn’t know what Junko was about to do. She didn’t know what to expect.

And it made her more fearful than before.

Junko whips out a cellphone from one of the pockets of Nagito’s jacket and turned it on. Mikan watched her do a few taps on the screen until ringing sounded. Was she calling someone? She saw Nagito glance at Junko’s direction, before his eyes widened slightly.

“Koma-“ whoever had answer Junko’s call had apparently thought Komaeda was the one calling. Heavy breathing can be heard as Junko raises her hand. Mikan realized she was video calling whoever that person was.

“Hullooo!” she greets and even posed at the caller.

“J… J… _Enoshima_.”

“Mitarai?” Mikan breathed out, realizing that the voice came from Ryota, Komaeda’s boss.

“You can call me Junko, but whatevs!” Junko chirped. And then, using the front camera of his phone, she puts the phone in front of Komaeda’s face- not too far, but not too close either.

“Say hello to Ryota, Nagito!”

Nagito didn’t look at the phone, but instead, glared at Junko.

“What’re you doing to him!?” Ryota immediately asked. “Komaeda, don’t worry. I’ll send help-“

“We’re just having a tea party here, Mr. Mitarai.” Junko cuts the former Ultimate Animator.

“We’ve got your charming friend,” and then she shows Ryota Mukuro’s face. “We also have the best sister in the world!” and then finally, she shows Ryota to the best medic of the Future Foundation. “And we also have your lovely nurse, Mikan! She's a cutie” Mikan saw Ryota’s horrified expression. His jaw had dropped, eyes wide and the background appears to be one of the men’s bathroom in the headquarters.

“ _Enoshima_ ,” seriousness was evident in Ryota’s voice. “We can discuss this peacefully-“

Junko broke into a fit of laughter. “The f*** are you talking about!?”

Ryota began to splutter numerous protests, explanations and other messages that Junko didn’t bother listening to. She told a few things to Mukuro, who handed her the hunter's knife. Junko gave her the cellphone, and this time, switched from using the front camera to using the back camera of the phone.

“Now let’s start our interrogation, Mikan!” Junko excitedly began and even leaned down so her hand can rest on her knee like she was encouraging a toddler to crawl towards her. “Where is the location of the program?”

Ryota was heard. “Enoshima, stop this now so we can-“

Nagito let out a muffled sound that clearly told Mikan to _not_ tell Junko what she knows. Junko waited for a few seconds, before her head tilted to the right. Grayish-purple eyes stared at the blue ones, mind slowly progressing. Her mouth opened, she hesitated, closed her outh, and then opened them again- only to stop herself from speaking.

“No answer, huh?” Junko murmurs.

She turns around to face Nagito, and stabbed the hunter’s knife on to his left thigh.

“NOOO!!!” Ryota screamed from the phone in terror.

“ **Nagito**!” Mikan shrieked, eyes larger than before and her chest tightening once again.

Nagito let out a muffled gasp, eyes wide as well. Junko snickered under their reactions and even pushed the blade _deeper_ , prompting Nagito to scream. She giddily giggles and then played with the knife that was still stuck in his thigh. And ever so _slowly_ , she pulled out the blade from his thigh, a muffled moan of pain, starting to bounce off the walls of the room. It was like he was trying to stop himself from screaming.

 _When a victim gets stabbed, they'll feel numb_ , Mikan thought, trying to reassure herself that Nagito can still stay alive. But then,  _when the blade is pulled out, it'll cause pain!_

“Junko, please!” Mikan yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks like aggressive waterfalls. “I-I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”

Nagito created a muffled yell, eyes directed at the nurse. Junko grinned toothily like before. “Maybe I should do this more. I _love_ the despair in your voices.”

“Enoshima, don’t do it!”

“J-J-Junko, no. Not him- **not him!** ”

Junko faced Nagito once again and stabbed his right palm. She pulls it out instantly and stabbed it again.

Pull out.

Stab in.

Pull out.

Stab in.

**Pull out.**

**Stab in.**

_**Push deeper.** _

Junko was grinning creepily even though small drops of crimson blood splattered all over her front. She pulls out the knife from his palm and eyed her victim, admiring his state.

Nagito screamed louder than before even though it was muffled, grayish-green eyes looking at his bloody palm.

Blood.

**Blood spills.**

She’s used to blood whenever she helps out surgeons and doctors do operations in the hospital. Blood is normal. It is inside every human being

And now, she was traumatized.

In the middle of this event, Ryota had rushed towards the nearest leader he can find, and found the Great Gozu, frantically explaining everything. With the help of Miaya, they have tracked Komaeda’s location. But not before seeing Mikan cry out as Junko stabbed Nagito’s right thigh again.

“Junko!” Mikan screamed. “D-don’t- don’t do this t-t-t-to him! D-do it to _me_! Not _him_!!!”

Junko faced Mikan again with the same intensity in her eyes. Nagito breathed in deeply through his nose, tears forming in his eyes. “Tell me where the program is.”

Mikan attempted to lie- just to make Junko stop.

“I-I-It’s with Gekkog-g-gahara,” Mikan answered nervously. “She’s a-at J-Jobberwock Island-!”

Junko’s amused face turned into an annoyed one. And again, she stabbed Nagito’s left thigh this time, leaving it there.

Scream.

“You think I’d f**k**g fall for that trick!? **You b**ch**!”

She stabbed Nagito’s left thigh for multiple times, making Mikan sob uncontrollably.

She tried to stop Junko and it was a failure. She cried, tears going down nonstop. She sobbed loudly, then even screamed. Her vision blurred, but she can see the red blood. If Junko stabs him more, more blood will spill. He'll lose blood! If she stabs or cuts off a major blood vessel, Nagito would bleed profusely. If she stabs his lung, he would have difficulties in breathing and would’ve let out blood with every puff. If she slits his throat... the thought made her cry harder.  _I don't want to... to lose you Nagito_.

Nagito was barely hanging on. Everything felt numb, but every time Junko pulls out the blade, it hurts more than getting stabbed. He could feel the hot liquid dripping down his clothes, blood splatters mixing with sweat, making him even more messier-looking.

Junko eyed the bloody knife, visibly in awe. Slowly, she lets her tongue glide over the bitter red liquid. Her blue eyes almost rolled backwards in bliss. "My, my," she breaths out like she was getting breathless with every drop of blood she sees. "You taste  _really_ good Komaeda."

Nagito weakly glared at her, his limbs shaking in pain.

Mikan hicupped. "Nagito... N-Nagito...!"

"You want your precious Nagito safe, **don't you**?" Junko coos as she looks at the sobbing nurse. "Just tell me where the program is."

Honestly, Junko was having fun causing this despair. She almost forgot that she's doing this to know the location of the program.

"The... the..." Mikan swallows and inhaled a big amount of air. "It's... it's a-at the..."

The strapped boy looked at Mikan, fearing that she would tell them.

But then, Mukuro's ear perked up. The phone she had in her pocket vibrated. It was Fuyuhiko. The text said that the Future Foundation found their hideout. And even more surprising, she could _feel_  footsteps immediately rushing to their room. She drops Komaeda's phone and rushed over to Junko to protect her. She told Junko that they're all coming for her, and both of them escaped the room through the vents.

The Great Gozu, Ryota, Chisa and a couple of guards rushed in.

Ryota rushed over towards Mikan, quickly untying her. On the other side, The Great Gozu laid the metal board down on the floor so Komaeda would be laying face up. Both he and Chisa started to remove the straps that were firm and strong, but not very difficult to destroy, since this was the former Ultimate Wrestler. Mikan, after being reassured by Ryota, began to wipe off her tears and immediately rushed over to Nagito.

"He's barely holding up," Chisa stated as she peels off the tape from his mouth.

Nagito sucked in a breath, eyes remaining open and looking up at the ceiling. Quickly, Mikan leaned over him, eyes tearing and blinking them so she won't get blurred.

"I'll save you Nagito," she whispers and hiccuped afterwards, letting forehead touch Nagito's chest. "I  _will_ save you," Mikan firmly muttered before kneeling back up and looking over to Chisa. "I-I have n-no nursing kit. I need a c-clean cloth to a-apply pressure."

 _He must not get infected. He's loosing too many blood. Which one is bleeding the most?_ It was his palm.  _Alright Mikan. You have no time to cry! You're the only nurse in here. Keep yourself together and save him!_

She looks back to Nagito with a  firm determined look even though tears and snot were still falling.

"Nagito. Calm yourself. D-don't panic b-because it would g-get w...worse."

Leaving a quick peck on his sweaty forehead, she starts to do first aid while the Great Gozu summons the medical crew. A time like this reminded her that she's really lucky to devote herself in the field of medicine. Saving people she love, is her top priority for today. She couldn't afford to lose Nagito.

_**Not now, not ever.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, the stab wounds are based on his real death.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Post-SDR2
> 
> Roughly two years have passed since the five survivors of the 2nd Killing Game woke up and tried to make a new and better future for themselves. Peko, Fuyuhiko, Souda and Hajime found out Mikan was out of her hospital room, with no one guarding her.

Hajime was walking towards the only diner on Jabberwock Island. In his hand is a clipboard. He just came from the dock where Asahina, an old classmate and friend of Makoto, came from. They've dropped off some foods, products and other necessities they all needed to survive. And immediately noticing from the outside and through the window of the diner, he sees Fuyuhiko and Peko sitting in a booth, with Peko smiling slightly while Fuyuhiko wipes something on his shirt with a tissue. And from the inside, Peko notices Hajime's figure. She stared at him for a moment, contemplating whether to ignore him or wave at him, before she gives him a curt nod. Entering the diner, Hajime quickly looks over to them. Hearing the bell ring, Fuyuhiko looks over his shoulder.

"Hey guys," Hajime greets nicely, red eyes glancing from Peko to Fuyuhiko.

"Oh," Fuyuhiko lets out. "The shipping finished?"

"Not yet," Hajime says and then goes over behind the counter to serve himself a fresh bottle of water. "Asahina's going to return later with another set. This time, they're equipment for Souda."

"Speaking of Souda," Peko piped up. Her red eyes were looking outside of the window. The two boys followed her action and saw the running man approaching the diner with a rather panicked and frantic expression. Under the morning sun, he reminded them that many time has passed. From the roots, it showed his real hair color and his pink dye was fading away. He was even taller than before.

He pushed the entrance door of the diner rather roughly and panted. He sucked in a deep breath, and went over to Hajime. "I need..." he pants. "I need water." He coughed violently before shouting, "water!"

"Don't be so dramatic," Hajime lightly comments with a small amused smile before handing him a bottle. Being the great leader he is, Hajime started to ask the former Ultimate Mechanic after Souda swallowed a satisfying gulp.

"Have you finished your job?"

Souda huffs and shrugs even though he gives him an answer. "Not yet. I'm waitin' for Asahina. If I get the equipment, then I could fix the electricity back at the hospital."

Hajime, Fuyuhiko and Peko perks up at this.

"The generator's working, right?" Hajime questioned, making sure that everything is A-Okay. All of them are awake now. There's no need to activate the pods.

"Yeah. Uh, now that you mention that," Souda leans down on a seat as he scratches his head. "I didn't know Mikan was already free to roam around alone."

"Alone?" Fuyuhiko quickly asks. He puts an arm over his seat, looking over to the mechanic. "Where's she now?"

"Hm... I was on the way out of the room where the generator is. I... saw her with Mahiru and Ibuki. Maybe she's with them."

"Ibuki?" Peko repeated from her seat, eyebrows furrowing. "Fuyuhiko and I saw her pass by not more than ten minutes ago. She said she came from the hospital and told us she'll be at the Music Venue."

Souda grins toothily. "Well then, she's with Mahiru."

Silence settled inside the diner as Hajime nods at Souda. Everything was going smoothly until Fuyuhiko saw something at the corner of his left eye. He turns his head to look at his right until he saw a certain red-headed photographer and a blonde girl beside her. His eye slightly widened. The girls came from the beach with a bucket of seashells, both girls happy with each other. Peko notices this and looks over her left shoulder to see what he saw.

"Hajime," Fuyuhiko called their leader. Red eyes looked at his golden one. "Mahiru's here with Hiyoko."

Silence settled in the diner once again. And then, Hajime bolted out of the door with Souda following.

"Souda, you idiot!" Hajime yelled, ignoring the looks from the two girls. Hajime was getting ahead even further, faster than Souda could be. He reached the hospital first before rushing over to the patients' rooms. Mikan's room was the one at the end of the hall near the stairs. He quickly halted and made a knock. Waiting for no response, he barges in and looked inside if she was there.

Sadly, she wasn't.

Souda arrives and asked Hajime, "ya' seen her?"

"No, she's not in her room," Hajime said. Out of habit, he grips his black hair and started to think of places she could go into.

"Dude, what if she's committin' suicide right now?" Souda asked insensitively. "That's gotta be despairin'."

Hajime clenched his teeth, ignoring what Souda said.

The last time she got out of her room, she was trying to suffocate Gundam, who was at the time, still asleep and just got transferred from his pod. She's the only person out of all his friends who needed to be guarded, checked and visited. When she got transferred into a room from her pod, Peko decided to guard her room. But then, Mikan woke up and tried to hurt Peko by hitting her with the IV stand. She's the one Hajime mostly checks on to be a therapist for her.

Of course, due to the force shut down, all of them woke up in their despair state. But Hajime was the only one who woke up remembering the events in the program because of his brain. He was able to manipulate all of them, but all for the right intentions. He was going to make a future for them to be together. Mikan however, was very obsessed and devoted to her beloved, that she refused to give in to hope.

It was almost 11 months since the five survivors woke up from the simulation. Mikan woke up on the 8th month. She was twisted and cruel, even Souda and Fuyuhiko admitted she's too  _crazy_. But Hajime believed that if he was able to convince four students to turn into hopeful people, then he could do it to Mikan.

"Wait," Hajime spoke in a hushed tone before gesturing to the door nearest to his right. The only one inside the hospital besides Mikan was Nagito.

The weak crazy Nagito.

Hajime approaches the door, hesitating to turn the knob. In his head, he was thinking,  _Please don't be here Mikan_. He knows Mikan and Nagito have this...  _hatred_ for each other. It must have had to do with _her_. And he just hopes they're not killing each other. Souda does the job for him and opens the door with no hesitation. But he did it quietly and carefully, thinking the same thing as Hajime.

At the end of the room sets a hospital bed. On that bed was Nagito, sleeping peacefully, lying on his back with his head slightly tilted to the left. And on his left side was Mikan, lying on her side, still in her hospital gown. Both Hajime and Souda approached the couple, examining the two. Mikan was lying on her side, sleeping as well like what she was doing wasn't unusual. Hajime quickly noticed that her right arm was crushed underneath Nagito's head like she was serving him her right arm as his pillow. And her left arm was draped on top of his stomach, hugging him.

_Hugging him._

**_In her sleep._ **

Hajime felt Souda's hand land on his left shoulder. He looks over to the old mechanic, who was holding up a syringe. Hajime looked back at the sleeping couple.

Mikan, this time, moved her head on to Nagito's chest, smiling slightly in her sleep. But it was no despair-induced smile. In fact, it looked like she was enjoying her sleep- not like the previous times where she's screaming in her sleep and even laughing. Nagito in turn, turned his head down further, his chin brushing over Mikan's crown.

Nagito was just like Mikan. He said that all of them- the Remnants of Despair-, waking up was his bad luck. He didn't like any of them and didn't return Sonia and Ibuki's kindness. To all of them, he was more dangerous than before. He refused to eat together with them and even refused to talk to Hajime. He said they're the reason why  _Chiaki_ disappeared; why the world ended. He was cruel, even attempting to _kill_ anybody he goes inside his room.

He and Mikan had an argument once, which was the reason why he and Mikan are always being guarded whenever they exit their rooms to head to the bathroom. That argument involved  _Junko Enoshima_ herself. Until today, that woman was still creating despair over them. Mikan almost threw Souda's scattered wrench at Nagito. Hajime had caught it and even heard Mikan continue saying "he was supposed to be dead".

They were never in good terms since they met each other for the first time after they woke up.

And now...

Hajime turned around, and grabbed the syringe from Souda.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally thinking that Mikan and Nagito were laying beside each other on Nagito's hospital bed, and Souda and Hajime noticed that the heart monitor wasn't working. So in conclusion: Nagito's dead. Bonus: Mikan's dead as well.
> 
> But no. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Bad Hair Day
> 
> Mikan decides to play with Nagito's hair before they could prepare for their double date with Hajime and Chiaki. And both she and Nagito knew they love each other, no matter how messy their hair looks.

She still felt tired and weary after a long sleep. But that wasn’t the reason why she chose to stay in bed to get more rest. What made her stay was her loyal boyfriend, Nagito Komaeda. She’s more than happy to have such a charming and wonderful boy to care for her. He gave her a reason to continue working hard in her life. She thought she wasn’t worthy enough to be his girlfriend, but he told her she was wrong. Her life always focused on caring and curing random strangers for patients. But now, she’s caring a specific person.

He gave her hope.

She didn’t move from her spot, wanting to stay longer in his arms. But then, after pondering for a long while about the things that she will do for today, she remembered that they were supposed to meet Hajime and Chiaki this morning for a double date.

Yawning, she opens her eyes and rubbed them lightly, not wanting to harm her eyesight.

“Nagito.”

The boy heard her as he is a light sleeper, and acknowledged her call by humming. Mikan felt him huff on her nape.

“S…sorry for waking you up,” she apologized out of habit. “But… what time is it?”

Instead of answering immediately, Nagito hugged her tighter than before, smiling on her shoulder. “Time to go back to sleep with me.”

Mikan smiled bashfully, appreciating his affectionate gesture but decided to remind him about their double date with their friends. “But we  _do_  have a… a date with Hajime and Chiaki...” she trails off.

“Oh,” Nagito murmured and sigh. His hot breath on her bare skin tempted her to stay in bed with him, but she didn't. “Well,” he sets his lips on her shoulder and continued to speak. “We don’t want to disappoint them with our tardiness. And it’s,” he pauses and looks over his shoulder to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. “-almost nine.”

“We have a lot of time to prepare,” Mikan states before slowly rising, with Nagito’s hand sliding over her hip. She looks over to Nagito, who returns her smile. “You can take a shower first. I’ll… try preparing a light breakfast for you.”

Nagito chuckles. “No need. After all, we’re going to eat brunch with those two.” He sits up, and Mikan immediately noticed that eager grin on his face.

_“Do you want to take a shower with me?”_

It’s not like it's their first time doing so. It’s been two years since they’ve started dating. The first time they did it, it took a lot of meaningful and honest words from Nagito to remove Mikan’s self-doubt. So it wasn’t a big deal. But she always gets a  _little_  flustered when Nagito suggests it.

This time though, she noticed his white messy hair.

 _I must’ve been tugging them hard last night,_  Mikan thought. And this thought made her stomach churn giddily.

Nagito tilts his head, patiently waiting for her answer. Slowly, she raises her arm to touch his fluffy yet messy hair. Nagito kept himself quiet, and took his time examining her expression.

And he noticed her wild messy hair as well.

Plum uneven strands fell past her shoulder, clearly untamed, dry and thick.

And he loves it.

“Can I…” she hesitated, then looks directly at Nagito. “Can I comb it? As in, right now?”

Nagito chuckles. “If you comb it right now, it’ll go to waste once it gets wet.”

“I don’t mind,” Mikan responds.

Shrugging, he says, “If you do it to me, then I’ll do it to you.”

She nods eagerly and picked up her robe, which was on the other bedside table. She covers her bare top carefully, ignoring Nagito's stare, and then reached for the brush inside the drawer.

Nagito settles in front of her, and Mikan kneels up behind him. She starts to comb his hair carefully, slightly smiling at the familiar soft texture. Nagito leans on to her touch, feeling relaxed at her soft brush strokes. She started at his hairline and dragged the comb backwards. Even though she tried to straighten them, it always goes back to its wavy form. She didn't mind it though. She loved his hair just the way it is. Running through a small knot, she softly tugs it and continues to brush his hair slowly.

Minutes passed by, Nagito slightly lifts his head up, prompting Mikan to pause.

"Can I have my turn now?" he asks.

Mikan chuckles and sets the brush down. They switched positions, with Mikan sitting crisscross in front of a kneeling Nagito.

Nagito held the brush lightly and copied Mikan's action earlier. He swept back her bangs and started to brush it backwards. But halfway through the process, he comes across a knot. He tries to tug it like she did to him, but then, he noticed that this knot was difficult to remove. He picks up a strand that contains the knot and decides to handle it manually.

"Are you... are you having difficulties there, Nagito?" Mikan asks, slightly turning her head.

Nagito shakes his head. "No, no difficulties here."

Once he removed the knot, he continued to brush her hair. For multiple times, he comes across the same knot and had to remove them again. He had thought that they must have really got rough last night. But he remembers, his hands were no where her hair last night. Dismissing the thought, he rushes the same area again and then decided to brush the frizzy tips of her hair. Feeling the thick strand, he brushes a rough texture with the pad of his thumb.

And he  _loves_  it.

He looks over his shoulder to look at the clock. It was almost ten.

"So..." Nagito starts and then puts his hand on her hips. He puts his mouth next to her ear, a playful smile glued on his face.

_"Can we take a shower together now?"_

* * *

Both Asahina and Sayaka were tossing a bouncy ball at each other when they saw Nagito and Mikan exit their house in their casual clothes. Sayaka noticed the two and caught Mikan's eyes.

"Hey there lovebirds!" Sayaka calls.

Nagito smiles at her with a wave and Mikan shyly smiles.

Asahina looks over her shoulder and then waved. "Oh hey! Where are you two going?"

"On a double date," Nagito answers and then unlocks their car. "We'll see you later girls."

"Have a good day!" Sayaka follows.

As the engine starts, the couple enters their car. Asahina goes over to her house mate and sat down on the grass beside her. Sayaka follows, gripping the yellow ball in hand. And they knew how to start their conversation.

"They were pretty loud last night," Asahina states.

Sayaka nervously chuckles. "Yeah. And... they sound rough."

"I'm not even gonna scold you for listening. You could've blocked your ears or something." The way Asahina says it, there was a little smile on her face.

Then she sighs. "I hope I get to be like them- you know. Happier than before. Because you get to care for someone who'll care back."

Sayaka giggles and nods. "Yeah, I know. Having a boyfriend is nice," she states and thinks of her ex-boyfriend, Leon Kuwata. It's been two months since they've broken up. But they broke up- in a good way. They stayed friends. And Sayaka admits he's the best boyfriend she has ever had. "They've been dating for two years. I wonder when they'll get married."

"Probably soon," Asahina replies and watches the car drive away.

Silence.

_"Couples take a shower together too, y'know."_

Asahina raises an eyebrow at Sayaka. "What made you say that?"

Sayaka opens her mouth, but then Asahina stood up abruptly.

"Nevermind. Don't answer that."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to make this story more interesting because every time I think about the prompt, an image of Nagito brushing Mikan's hair just pops in my mind. So I tried to look at the other Komamiki stories to be inspired about the couple. When I saw "Imperfect Vessel" by Samuraiter, I started to write the story in a Non-Despair AU. And I really like a naught Nagito. No the /bad/ naughty, but more like a 5-year-old naughty. :) Hehe, hopefully this is entertaining.


	6. Short Special: Buttons for Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a token of gratitude, Mikan gives Nagito something that came from within her heart and soul... and it made him flustered for a moment.

Nagito Komaeda didn't like crowded or noisy places. He would prefer going in the library and settling there, or in his dorm room too. At the moment, he didn't like to stay in a very quiet place. He opted to go outside by the fountain since it was quite peaceful there. He often sees a reserve course student there, together with the Ultimate Voice Actress, Chiaki Nanami, but he's depending on his luck if the fountain would be empty. It sounded stupid, seeing as he's a logical person who believes everything can be explained with logic. Different phenomenons and unexplainable occurances happen around the globe, but he chooses to ignore them. He _strongly_ believes everything can be explained. Luck was simply something that intrigued him.

Being the **Ultimate Stenographer** , he carried a steno pad, a ball point pen, and a cellphone. He's quite glad the school has everything he needs- and the internet was no exception. He searched for a roleplay video in a website with the keywords being _Merchant of Venice Act 2_.

When he arrived, the fountain wasn't empty; however, the reserve course student and the Ultimate Voice Actress weren't present anywhere. Sitting on one side of the bench with a doll in hand, as well as some sewing materials laying on her lap, was the **Ultimate Dollmaker** : Mikan Tsumiki.

She was one of his classmates. She sat beside him in class too. She's a meek, timid person actually; opting to stay in the background with her clumsy, shy nature. She had multiple bandages on her arms, and a band-aid sticking on her cheek, but he decided it wasn't surprising seeing as she always carry a needle and roll of thread with her anywhere. Weren't dollmakers supposed to have swift, experienced hands for this type of work? Shouldn't they easily avoid injuring themselves? If she received such a well-known title, then the scout must've seen what she could do with those hands of hers.

Deciding she'll be harmless and quiet, he takes a seat on the other side of the bench.

He plugs the earphones he kept in his pocket to his phone, and inserted the plugs to his ears. He started doing his work once the first word was uttered. As words spilled into his ears, his hand never stopped writing long and short strokes, writing by heart and mind. Quickly, a page of his steno pad was getting full.

Mikan didn't notice his presence immediately, because she was busy tying a button on to her doll's face as an eye. She was quite oblivous sometimes. When she did notice him, she kept quiet because she noticed that he was preoccupied. Everywhere he goes, he carries that pen and that steno pad of his.

When she learned his talent, Mikan had no idea what stenography was. Once he demonstrates in front, she was very surprised. His hand worked fast, his ballpen like it was just another part of him, strokes and curves neat and clear. In the end, she had no idea what it says, but Nagito told them what it said. On the big day, every talent was presented and tested. Nagito and Chiaki collaborated actually. Chiaki was speaking as fifty different characters in a four-minute scene, mixing different accents and personalities like a professional. Nagito was doing a script. They were a duo in sync. Whatever she says, he writes down. They passed the test, got more well-known, and they earned respect from their peers.

He and Mikan didn't interact very much.

A week passed, Mikan couldn't find her buttons. They were always kept in a small tupperware, the lid a beautiful color of rose. Those buttons were precious to her, and now, she couldn't find it. Was this the doing of Hiyoko? If yes, then it isn't funny.

On the end of the day, she tried searching for it. She waited for the others to leave, wanting the classroom to be empty for herself. She entered the classroom once again and started searching. Fifteen minutes, the door slides open. The stenographer was back, looking surprised to see the dollmaker still in the room.

"Tsumiki?"

Mikan swallows and looked at him. "Oh, uhm, hi K-Komaeda."

"Why're you still here?"

"W-well, I lost my buttons," she reasons, a little tearful about it. "Uh, if y-you'd like, I'll leave the room now."

"It's fine," he firmly states while smiling slightly. It charmed her. "I'll help you then."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Definitely."

The two set off in a search around the room. After five minutes, Nagito opened the closet where the brooms and dustpans were kept while Mikan searched behind the curtains. Nagito spotted a red-lidded tupperware. Gleaming inside were the buttons that belonged to the Ultimate Dollmaker.

"I found it."

Mikan quickly perks up at this and rushes to his side. In his clutch was her belonging, safe and sound. She let herself smile and grabs it gently, feeling relieved as she felt the plastic container. Nagito was a little surprised by this reaction. She's quite pretty actually, especially when she smiles like that. Too bad the world is littered with people like Hiyoko.

"Thank you very much, Komaeda!" she beams.

"No problem."

"I-I do hope I didn't waste your time," she guiltily says and bows her head in front of him. "H-how could I repay you? I can sew a pig's face on my palm, if you want."

Nagito was surprised, and quickly declined her suggestion. Will she do that is he said yes? "No, no, you don't have to repay me."

Mikan looks up at him, and quickly turned away, flushing a little. Sometimes maintaining eye contact even for two seconds while a foot away from the person is a struggle for her. A few insistent statements later, Mikan lets him be and bows again, thanking him (again and then leaving the room. Nagito watched her leave, almost forgetting that he was here to write.

The next day, when he arrived in the room, Mikan was not yet in the room. Usually she's the third person to arrive early in the morning. He casually shrugs it off, feeling a little odd to be able to notice such a small, unusual ocurance. When another student came in, he didn't look up from his steno pad.

"K-Komaeda?"

He looks up finally, and saw Mikan clutching something.

"Good morning Tsumiki," he greets.

Said girl greets back.

"U-uhm, a-as a token of my gratitude, I'd... I'd like you to have this." She finally reveals what she was clutching. It was a keychain actually. Tagged on the silver object was a doll's face; a doll's face that looked similar to his. The white hair looked like real cotton there. The color of the skin was realistic too. It had no nose, but it did have a smile, and complete set of 2D teeth. And it had swamp-like buttons for eyes, with a pair of thin eyebrows sewn above.

"Wow," he says. "This is very impressive." It felt really soft in his hands. Did she use a sewing mashine for this? He didn't have an idea as to how she did it. She once mentioned sewing machines weren't her forte.

"I-it isn't my best but... I poured my heart and soul to it while making it," she confesses with a little smile, eyes closing slightly like she was remembering something nostalgic. This little confession made his flustered for a moment.

"That looks pretty," Sonia Nevermind commented, suddenly popping up. The Ultimate Interpreter looked at the keychain in Nagito's hand and smiled at Mikan. "Can I have one too? It looks really cute."

Mikan's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Yes, yes, of course! But I need f-four hours for this..."

"That's fine. I can have it tomorrow if you need time," the interpreter said and waves them a goodbye, opting to take silence as company.

As they were left together again, Nagito decided to make a response before his silence gets taken the wrong way. "I appreciate the hard work, Tsumiki. Thank you."

Mikan tilts her head and lets herself smile again, just for once. "You're very welcome, Komaeda."

He wished to see that smile again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Komamiki. And it's their week. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared. For old readers of this set of Komamiki fanfics, you've noticed that I didn't post the last two chapters for the last two days of last year's Komamiki Week (2016). It's been a long time, I know. But to show support and participation for this week, I decided to post this short special. I'll post the other fanfics when I can in the future- even if it isn't Komamiki Week anymore.


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